Tag Archive for ‘Faith’ at Serving Bread

Tag Archive for 'Faith'

Leadership Insight 24: Offerings

Published

on January 15, 2008

. 1 Comment

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My supervisor often reminds me that I have much more to offer others (in terms of spiritual leadership) than I think I do. I can gather some of the reasons why I hesitate in thinking that God’s work in my life and through my life is that easily transferable or good for others. Some of it has to do that I have mixed opinions of the art of self-promoting what I want to offer others. Some of it has to do that I’m not sure how to translate what I’m learning to be of value to others. And I think some of it is that I feel like many areas of my leadership are still in the ‘beginnings’ stages, making me feel a bit unprepared to lead.

Recently, a young couple asked Rhoda and I to serve as their pre-marital counselors. While we were honored to be given such a privileged voice in their lives, we were also anxious to be invited into this role. Can we offer them anything? This couple is making the most important decision of their lives and we have the invitation to shape it for the better. I may know how to disciple someone in prayer or in studying the Bible, but marriage is a whole new ball game for me.

In thinking through the decision to serve in this capacity, I came to two conclusions:

I can offer what has been offered to me. God has taught us a lot about marriage. We have had to learn how to reconcile conflict and serve one another. We have had to work through expectations and assumptions. We are not perfect, but God has done a good work in us.
Leadership will always stretch us into new territory. God leads the Israelites to the edges of the Red Sea and asks whether they would trust him to take them across it when the Egyptian army is in hot pursuit. The Israelites had to struggle whether God would be faithful to save them from the army. In my experience of leadership, it seems that stretching into new contexts is normal. When I am stretched in a particular context, I learn more about myself and more about God.

I love that I get to serve in shaping this couple’s marital foundations. This ministry opportunity has led to me to reflect and be grateful for the ways that God has been good to me, and has stretched me to seek God’s wisdom and insights in a new territory.

Our offerings rest on knowing God’s goodness to us and being diligent to seek God in the new things that he is doing. Take those away, and we are right to conclude that we have little to offer people.

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Leadership Insight 12: Watch and Learn

Leadership Insight 30: It’s Messy

Leadership Insight 31: For better or for worse

Leadership Insight 21: Called

Assumptions about God

Published

Eddy E

on January 10, 2008

in Theology

. 1 Comment

I wonder how many assumptions I have about God that are not necessarily Biblical? In taking my first theology course at Fuller Seminary (even though I am nearly done with my program), I am challenged to reflect on my assumptions about God’s nature.

Why do I believe that God is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent (among the other omni’s that are classically attributed to God)? How do these omni’s or other beliefs shape how I connect with God and how I teach about God? For example, do I explain prayer in terms of the classic analogy of the child who asks her parent for something and the parent already knows what the child wants but delights in the process of the child asking? Or is prayer an appeal for God to change circumstances that seem hopeless and perhaps the answer to prayer is conditioned on the ask itself?

About 10 years ago, I read John Stott’s The Cross of Christ for the first time. That book deeply shaped my understanding of the cross, but what it also did is give me a deep appreciation for the thinkers and shapers of Christianity for the past 2000 years. They spent energy articulating doctrines we take for granted as being essential and orthodox to the Christian faith.

To solely rely on the work done with these thinkers will eventually test and challenge our faith. When The Da Vinci Code came out in 2003, many Christians found themselves unable to interact with author Dan Brown’s heresy. While some pastors took the time to educate their parishioners about the nature of Christ and the reliability of Scripture, many others shunned the book as heresy, not equipping people to interact with our culture about God who is far superior than what Brown paints in his book.

I am thankful for the ancient shapers of the faith and I pray to enter with them in the dialog rather than to take their conclusions as ‘gospel truth.’

If what I assume about God influences how I teach, lead, and preach, I want to make sure that I am growing on a trajectory to adopt right concepts about God. My hope relies on a growing relationship with God who will surely surprise me by his character. And rather than ignore everything I know about God and start over, I pray that as I grow in my relationship with God and my dedication to study and know the Scriptures, my understanding of God’s character would be more and more clarified.

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Related Posts:

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Leadership Insight 34: In Absence

Leadership Insight 24: Offerings

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Finance Fridays 6: Trust in God

Published

Eddy E

on September 28, 2007

in Finance Fridays

. 0 Comments

Scripture is full of promises that God provides. Whether it is the story of the feeding of the 5000, or a straight word from Jesus in Matthew 6, our God provides for our needs. This past summer, I did some work out of Proverbs and was struck again that God reveals himself as one who provides and wants to provide for our needs.

Saying God is the great provider means that we can put our trust in him. We do not need to put our trust in our possessions, in our cars, in our houses, or in our relationships. It takes great risk to put trust in the “invisible” God. It takes courage to believe that we can live on less (because we are tithing or living simpler) and that God still has our back.

Theoretically, I believe. I believe that God is more trustworthy than anything else. I believe that God has my back. I believe that I do not have to worry. Here’s my struggle though: I don’t believe that God has my back when I put myself into financial trouble. I can trust in God when I do all things right. I don’t know if I trust in God when my sin or poor decisions lead me to financial trouble.

What God has been pressing me is the need for God when I feel like I’m in financial trouble. I need to believe the prayer of Psalm 86.7, “In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.”

When I find myself in financial trouble (even if my actions have caused the trouble), I want to believe that I can call on God and he will answer me. Will God forgive me for my poor decision-making when it comes to my finances? Will God rescue me from my mistakes? I’d like to believe that Psalm 86.7 speaks into that and says a resounding, “Yes!”

There may be some seasons where I feel disciplined and wise in how I handle my finances. But there are other seasons where I feel in trouble and full of stress. The challenge during those seasons of stress and trouble is to still trust God for my finances and also whatever correction God may have—whether it be to stretch my giving or cut my expenses.

It’s one thing to say, “Lord, I am going to give this money away and I need to trust that you provide for my needs.” And it’s another thing to say, “Lord, I have mismanaged my money and I need you to rescue me and provide for my needs.” It’s easier for me to believe God’s love and God’s provisions with the former statement but not the latter one.

But the good news is that God does deliver us from our troubles—whether they were caused by us or by others. We need to trust God regardless of where we are and how we got there. Scripture is full of promises that God cares for all of our needs. Praise be to God!

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Related Posts:

Finance Fridays 1: What belongs to God

Finance Fridays 5: Budgeting

Finance Fridays 4: Keeping record

Finance Fridays 2: Living within our means

Finance Fridays 8: Accountability